Sebastian POVThe cold northern wind whipped through the trees, sending a chill through the stone house where I paced restlessly. Each creak of the wooden floor echoed louder in my ears, underscoring my parents' disapproval."Sebastian, you're being reckless," my father's voice boomed, sharp with authority. "The North is safe as long as we're together."My mother's tone was softer, but just as firm. "You don't understand what you're asking. It's not just about you. Think of us, we can't lose you."Frustration simmered beneath my skin. Their fears were valid, but their insistence on keeping me safe was suffocating. I needed to find Ruby. I had to confront the darkness haunting me, and I couldn't do that by staying in the North."I have to go," I said, my voice edged with desperation. "I've seen the future, and it's not just some nightmare. It's real. I have to stop it."Kiera's voice broke through, pleading. "Sebastian, please. Just give me some time. Grandpa is working on something. T
Gabe POVI waited at the edge of a small village for Sebastian, the last piece of this so-called Kingdom. The crescent moon hung low in the sky, a faint sliver of light amidst the darkened horizon. Doubt gnawed at me, questioning if this was the right decision. Maybe rejecting Ruby and fleeing back home would be wiser. But deep down, I knew I wouldn't leave either of them. Despite all the lies we'd grown up with, my path was clear. I had to help Sebastian control whatever darkness possessed him, and I needed my mate by my side.I didn't like Sebastian's idea of having Ruby burn away the darkness inside him. After overhearing his long, grueling arguments with his parents, I knew better than to disagree with him. It didn't matter what I thought anyway, there was no way Ruby would kill him. I might not have known how close Sebastian claimed they were, but I knew her well enough. She wasn't capable of hurting others, no matter how much she tried to pretend otherwise. I could sense the gui
Ruby POVThe morning sun filtered through the high, narrow windows of the classroom, casting long, slanted beams across the cold marble floor. It was eerily silent, except for the occasional rustle of paper and the scratching of pencils as the other students jotted down notes. But the quiet was deceptive, a thin veneer over the palpable tension that simmered beneath the surface. Every eye in the room was watching me, waiting for me to fail, to lose control again.I closed my eyes, trying to shut out the hateful glares of the witches surrounding me. They were cruel, taunting me with their whispered insults and mocking laughter, their disdain rolling off them in waves. Each of them carried an aura of cold, dark magic.I had been practicing, trying to learn control, but it was like taming a storm. My power was wild, unpredictable, a tempest of light and shadow that surged through my veins. Sometimes, when I focused, I could feel it responding to my will, bending to my commands. But other
Gabe POVI had her in my arms, melting into me just the way a mate should with her Alpha. Then, like a switch, she snapped out of the trance and ran straight into Sebastian's arms. It was utter bullshit.I watched them with a tight jaw, realizing just how close they were. The moment she saw him, her whole demeanor shifted, her entire soul seemed at ease. The way she spoke to him, so casually, without any reservations or fear, grated on me. She was only ever pissed at me.Sebastian glanced back at me. "You coming or what?" he asked, and I had to fight the urge to lunge at him and punch his smug face. Of course I was coming. I'm her damn mate. I should also be her Alpha, not him. But then again, he was my Alpha. I could feel the loyalty and the pull to his power, which probably made him her Alpha too. I didn't like it. All of this was bullshit."Gabe!" Ruby's voice snapped me out of my thoughts, and I looked up to see we were in what appeared to be her room. I wasn't even sure how we go
Sebastian POVI hated putting all this on Ruby, but she was the only one that could stop me. I needed her to do this or I would become something I couldn't live with. The second I saw her, her body lost to Gabe's touch as he kissed her neck, jealousy surged within me. I thought between Sheila and our time apart that I had gotten over her, but that was far from the truth. She was something magical, and so damn beautiful, even with no eyebrows and a faint scar.Then she shoved Gabe off her and ran right into my arms. It was wrong, and I knew I shouldn't encourage our bond, but I couldn't resist. I loved how she flung herself on me, hugging me, and looking to me as her savior.Once we made it to her bedroom I knew I had to stop pretending. We weren't old friends catching up. She was the one destined to kill me. I explained what I knew, telling her about our inherited powers and that she was the one to right all the wrongs.Ruby wouldn't accept it, not that I thought she would at first an
Ruby POVSebastian left with Hailey and I was stuck with the dick face Alpha. I was so annoyed and mostly because I knew my body wanted to give into him."Ruby, come on. We are fated. How long are you going to try and push me away?" His hand reached for me and I slapped it away"Forever, don't touch me." I grumbled. I grabbed a blanket from my chair and a pillow from my bed to throw on the floor. "Go to sleep." I ordered him."I thought we were going to talk?" Gabe actually looked upset. He was a complete asshole that thought I would just be one of his mates. I remembered every vile thing he said and some stupid mate bond isn't going to change that."I have to shower. Then, I need to sleep. When I use my magic like that it nearly knocks me out. Tomorrow, we all need to figure out how to save my best friend. I don't have time for you." I shouted my words, pushing all the longing I felt inside me into pure hate."You don't have time for me, but you have time for him." He scoffed."He wa
Gabe POVI sprawled out on her bed, savoring the comfort of being exactly where I wanted to be. Hands behind my head, feet casually crossed at the ankles, I couldn't help but smile. She couldn't resist me, not really. Beneath all that defiance, I knew she wanted to give in, to submit. We could have so much fun together, exploring every way our bodies could tangle as one. But I liked this little game we played, her stubborn will against my persistence. I was breaking her down, bit by bit. I could be patient, just as long as she stayed by my side.She walked back in from the shower, her hair damp, tension radiating from her like a storm. I watched as she stomped around the room, putting away clothes, rummaging through books, every movement a testament to the frustration she was trying so hard to hide."You seem tense," I teased, my gaze tracking her every step."Of course I'm tense. My best friend wants to kill himself, and I've got some smug asshole lounging in my bed," she huffed, her
Sebastian POVI woke up feeling surprisingly energized, ready to tackle whatever the day threw at me. Hailey had slipped out before dawn, which was a relief to not have the awkward morning-after conversations to worry about. We'd met five minutes before ending up in bed, so I doubted she expected anything more."You ready?" Ruby burst into my room, practically bouncing on her feet with an uncharacteristically cheery mood."Did you make up with your mate?" I asked, grinning as I reached out and pinched her cheeks."Ew! No! Stop treating me like your little sister," she snapped, her scowl returning as quickly as it had vanished. I shook my head, amused."Whatever it was, it didn't last long," I teased, grabbing my bag and slinging it over my shoulder. It seemed we were heading out, given that she had her bag packed too."I'm happy because we're going to save you, asshole," she shot back, punching my bicep before wincing at the effort. "I don't like how big you've gotten.""I've always b
Gabe POVSebastian was ridiculous.We'd been stuck on that boat together for almost two weeks, and he was acting like it meant nothing. He barely acknowledged what happened, sweeping it under the rug as if those hot, tangled nights didn't shift something deep between us. I was pissed at him, but Ruby was back, and I couldn't stop smiling.Except it didn't feel like the three of us anymore. There was a cloud of doubt and anger Sebastian was driving between us, and it was unnerving. He was so arrogant, so righteous.The tension was thick as we traveled overland, pressing in on us until it felt like it would snap. We bickered about everything: whether my shortcut through the trees was actually a shortcut, or why Sebastian couldn't just follow my lead without a snide comment."You don't even know where you're going," Sebastian snapped, shouldering past me to take the front. His voice was sharp, but I caught the exhaustion under it."I don't have to know where I'm going. I'm trusting my gu
Gabe POVSebastian was ridiculous.We'd been stuck on that boat together for almost two weeks, and he was acting like it meant nothing. He barely acknowledged what happened, sweeping it under the rug as if those hot, tangled nights didn't shift something deep between us. I was pissed at him, but Ruby was back, and I couldn't stop smiling.Except it didn't feel like the three of us anymore. There was a cloud of doubt and anger Sebastian was driving between us, and it was unnerving. He was so arrogant, so righteous.The tension was thick as we traveled overland, pressing in on us until it felt like it would snap. We bickered about everything: whether my shortcut through the trees was actually a shortcut, or why Sebastian couldn't just follow my lead without a snide comment."You don't even know where you're going," Sebastian snapped, shouldering past me to take the front. His voice was sharp, but I caught the exhaustion under it."I don't have to know where I'm going. I'm trusting my gu
Sebastian POVThe sand crunched under our boots as we stepped onto the shore. The island was almost too perfect, like something out of a dream, with golden mountains in the distance and a faint glow in the air that made everything shimmer. The wind carried a strange, intoxicating scent, like flowers mixed with something ancient and magical.I was still on edge, pacing the beach while Gabe rummaged through the supplies we found in a small, abandoned shack near the edge of the jungle. I couldn't stop thinking about Ruby, the need to find her clawing at me."You're pacing again," Gabe's voice called out from behind me. "You're gonna wear a hole in the sand.""Shut up," I snapped, spinning around to face him. He was grinning, of course, like this was all a game. "We shouldn't even be here. You know damn well we don't have time for this."Gabe stood up, brushing sand off his pants, his teasing expression faltering for a second. "Sebastian, we're doing everything we can. You need to take a
Sebastian POVI stood there, my chest still heaving, heart pounding from what had just happened with Gabe. My head was a damn mess. One minute, I was imagining Ruby, our mate, the one I craved more than air, and the next... Gabe's mouth was on me, and it wasn't just some accidental slip. It was intense, primal. It felt good. Too good.But did I really want him? I rubbed the back of my neck, the mark from Ruby tingling like it always did, reminding me of what we had to focus on. I could still taste her on my lips, still feel the rush of being with her, but my body was tangled up in something else. Gabe. What the hell was that? I wasn't into men. I wasn't into him.He was just there, right? Filling in the space, the need. That had to be it. My need for Ruby had to be leaking over to him. That's all it was.I stormed from the dinner table, showering long and hard to wash away his scent on my cock, but it didn't matter. I had the images seared in my brain, the pleasure alive in my soul. I
Sebastian POVWatching Gabe was so damn sexy. I didn't want to admit how it turned me on the same way watching Ruby did. Ruby was my mate though, she was the only one I wanted. But she wasn't here, she was lost. We had to find her, but this damn mark on my neck was sending endorphins and desires through me. I needed to mate, to empty my seed and fill a hole.I fucked Gabe's mouth with everything I had. My hand ripping at his hair, dick impaling that wide throat until I burst again, filling him completely with so much cum. He was right, I was going to rut if I didn't let this all out. "Stand," I ordered then point to the chair. "Sit right there and jerk off."I took a seat in front of him, watching his hard delicious dick. I never thought about a man in this way before, but I did want him. I wanted to taste him, feel him. I sat there for a while, my hand playing with my cock as I watched him get off."Let me help, Alpha. We need more." Gabe teased me. I wanted to cave, to bend him ove
Gabe POVI just finished dinner, setting the food on the table and arranging it in a beautiful display in hopes to sway my Alpha to eat, but I knew he needed something else."You need to learn control, Alpha." I spoke softly, carefully, stepping closer to the untamed beast. Sebastian stood in the cabin, maps scattered around him as he watched the calm seas sway below us. He was losing his mind, a need to have his mate consuming him. "Gabe, get away from me!" He warned."No! I need you, she needs you." I insisted. "She's gone!" He roared out. "No, she isn't." I moved behind him, my fingers dancing along his neck, were her marked laid. "She is our mate and we can feel her. Ruby is alive, and we will find her.""I'm going fucking crazy. We have to find her. I have to have her." He growled at me, a heavy burden clear on his shoulders."You're a tangled mess, Alpha." I sighed, grabbing his hand to follow me. "You need to eat and you need a release. Well, you need your mate, but she isn'
Gabe POVFor days, we searched. We scoured the ship, flipped through ancient books, anything that could tell us what the hell had taken her. But we found nothing. And in that time, I watched Sebastian spiral. He wasn't eating. He wasn't sleeping. The darkness inside him crept closer with every hour Ruby was missing. I'd seen him like this before, on the verge of losing control, but this time felt different. This time, there was no pulling him back without her.I tried talking to him, over and over. "We'll get her back," I said, my voice breaking the silence one afternoon as we sat in the cabin, the maps spread uselessly across the table. "We just need to keep searching."He sat there, his jaw clenched so tight I thought it might snap. "What if we don't?" he muttered darkly, his eyes hollow. "What if she's already gone?""She's not," I insisted. "We'd feel it, both of us. She's alive, Sebastian.""You don't know that." His voice cracked, the first sign of weakness I'd seen in days. "Wh
Sebastian POV"Sebastian," a sweet, innocent voice called from the darkness, soft and familiar. "Sebastian," it beckoned again, and the frantic beating of my heart slowed. Warmth spread through me like a soothing balm, a brief escape from the chaos inside."Ruby! Where are you? Come to me, please," I begged, my voice breaking."I'm right here, silly." Her hand touched my face, gentle, soft, and it sent a surge of energy through me. Pure, unfiltered love coursed through my veins, and the world blurred into focus. There she was. My beautiful Ruby with long black hair, a red ribbon, and those mesmerizing brown eyes."I miss you." The words came out as a whisper, heavy with a desperation that clawed at my insides. I pulled her close, kissing her with all the longing I'd buried since she was torn from me."I've missed you too, my love," she whispered against my lips. I kept my eyes closed, not daring to open them, terrified this moment would slip away like all the others. I knew the truth,
Ruby POVThe cold water swallowed me whole, rushing over my head as the weight of the ocean dragged me deeper and deeper into its black void. My chest burned as saltwater filled my lungs, choking me with a sharp, unbearable sting. Panic flared wild and uncontrollably like a beast in my chest. The creature's tail coiled tighter around my waist, its slick, scaly skin sliding against mine, unyielding in its inhuman strength.I thrashed harder, my arms flailing in the thick, freezing water, but it was no use. The world above, the ship, the sky, my mates, they all faded into the distance, swallowed by the ocean's endless maw. Darkness pressed in from every side, the pressure increasing with every second, crushing me from all angles.This can't be happening. Not now. Not after everything.Images of Sebastian flooded my mind. His green eyes, the way they softened when he looked at me, that fierce love I finally saw within them. His touch, his kiss, the way his body felt against mine. And Gab